Northern Ireland Office

Update on delivery of the Government’s commitments in New Decade, New Approach

Conor Burns: During the passage of the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act, the Government committed to laying a Written Ministerial Statement every six months setting out which of our commitments in New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) we have delivered on to date. This is the first of those statements.The NDNA agreement facilitated the restoration of the devolved institutions in January 2020 after three years of hiatus. The Government will continue to implement our commitments under NDNA to support a stronger, more prosperous and inclusive Northern Ireland in which everyone can participate and thrive.So far, the Government has:published four reports on the use of the Petition of Concern mechanism, with the most recent report published on 20 January 2022;passed the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act to implement the institutional reforms agreed in NDNA;passed the Internal Market Act 2020;held a meeting of the Board of Trade in Northern Ireland;ensured that Northern Ireland can access the trade deals the UK is striking across the world;invited representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive to all meetings of the UK-EU Joint and Specialised Committees discussing Northern Ireland specific matters which were also attended by the Irish Government as part of the European Union’s delegation;changed the rules governing how the people of Northern Ireland bring their family members to the UK, enabling them to apply for immigration status on broadly the same terms as family members of Irish citizens;appointed Danny Kinahan as the first Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner in September 2020;passed the Armed Forces Act, which further enshrines the Armed Forces Covenant in law;continued a thorough review of the Aftercare Service, which supports veterans of the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish Regiment and their dependents;marked Northern Ireland’s Centenary with a programme of cultural and historical events in 2021;brought forward regulations that continue to ensure designated Union Flag flying days remain in line with those observed in the rest of the UK;announced £2 million in funding for Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language and Ulster Scots Broadcast Funds;continued preparations to recognise Ulster Scots as a National Minority under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;announced £4 million in funding for the International Fund for Ireland;allocated over £700 million of the £2 billion funding in NDNA, which has helped bring an end to the nurses’ pay dispute, contributed to the the creation of a new Northern Ireland Graduate Entry Medical School in Londonderry, and been used to support the transformation of public services;provided £50 million to support low-carbon transport in Northern Ireland, enabling the Infrastructure Minister to announce a new fleet of 145 low-carbon buses for Belfast and the North West;secured additional funding for the Executive in the 2020/21 year;reviewed the findings of the Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry Report to consider its implications for the use of public money in Northern Ireland; andcontinued to foster closer ties and better collaborative working across sectors such as tourism, sport and culture, including through the potential joint UK and Ireland bid to host the 2028 European Championships.The Government’s priority continues to be a return to a fully functioning and stable devolved government as soon as possible, to build on this progress and ensure the necessary delivery of public services for the people of Northern Ireland.

Department for International Trade

Trade Policy Update

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Since launching the negotiations on 19 January 2022, there have been 13 sessions between teams and five negotiations between the Trade Secretary and her opposite number. Yesterday, in Washington, the Trade Secretary met the US Commerce Secretary to discuss the resolution of US tariffs on UK steel and aluminium. These US tariffs, imposed in 2018, restricted imports of certain steel and aluminium into the United States, with additional duties of 25% and 10% respectively. After two months of intense negotiations, we agreed a bespoke solution with the United States which reflects the needs of our steel and aluminium industries. This government welcomes the US decision to replace their Section 232 tariffs on imports of certain UK steel and aluminium products with “tariff-rate quotas” (TRQs), effective as of 1 June 2022. This solution re-opens tariff free access to the US market back to levels before section 232 tariffs up to a specified volume. The key elements of the solution are as follows: On steel, the United States will provide duty free access per annum for 500 thousand metric tonnes across 54 product categories within a TRQ. This provides certainty for UK industry, in terms of being able to maintain current export levels in the face of global competition, but also provides scope for growth in our exports to the US.On aluminium the US will provide duty free access per annum for 21.6 thousand metric tonnes within a TRQ.As part of the solution, we have also agreed to a future bilateral dialogue with the US on how best to tackle the critical issues of global excess capacity and the carbon intensity of our steel and aluminium industries. This will form a strong foundation for our engagement with the US going forward to ensure our domestic industry continues to be protected. The removal of tariffs provides welcome relief to our steel and aluminium sectors, which support the jobs of around 80,000 people across the UK supply chain. Both the UK and the US will need time to implement the solution. The TRQs will be implemented from 1 June 2022. The UK’s rebalancing measures will be suspended from this same date. Reaching a solution on Section 232 clears the way for us to focus on strengthening the overall UK-US trading relationship. As we have demonstrated with the launch of the UK-US Joint Dialogues on the Future of Atlantic Trade, the first of which took place in Baltimore on 21 and 22 March. These Dialogues demonstrate that we are closely aligned with the US on championing and advancing trade policy which helps build a fairer, freer, greener global economy and trading relationship. They will encourage closer collaboration on shared values such as our respective Levelling Up and ‘Build Back Better’ agendas, as well as explore ways to drive more modern, innovative approaches to international trade with our biggest trading partner in areas such as digital, green trade and supporting SMEs.The Dialogues will continue in the UK later this spring.